Con Season 2016 has begun! With everything from PAX East this upcoming weekend all the way to Comikaze in October, the best half of the year is underway. In an effort to best cover these, The Flickcast has made sure I have appropriate credentials to get on the floor (or at the least, a map of where all the best bars and parties are) at each convention.

First, I headed to WonderCon as a part of The Flickcast team and Whiskey & Waffles. At the event, I had four very important ‘jobs’:

1. Speak on the SKYBOUND panel about digital video creators

2. Take the Mighty Wallet Challenge

3. Snag one of Loot Crate’s 2016 Convention Exclusive Crates

4. Cosplay as Hawkeye

Fans of The 100, if you thought this season was going to pull back from the insanity, think again.  At WonderCon 2016 all the cast and creator Jason Rothenberg could talk about was what is still in store for the Grounders and the Skykru as a new enemy emerges.

Speaking during interviews at WonderCon, Rothenberg jumped right in to discuss how Lexa’s controversial death will play out through the end of the season. The key is the chip that was taken out of her. “Everyone is going to be after this chip,” he said. “It’s going to drive this story into a very intense direction.”

This is going to link up with season three’s major underlying story, the introduction of the AI known as ALIE. Raven has a personal score to settle with the AI. Earlier this season Raven, still suffering with pain from her leg injury, learned the AI was taking all of her happy memories.

Speaking about her character, Lindsey Morgan said, “Because she had to learn to be strong, she will always be strong…It’s going to be very interesting coming up, I’m very excited to see that.” She also teased the “fight of the century” between Raven and ALIE.

Premiering at WonderCon 2016, Justice League vs. Teen Titans brings the young team of heroes back to life with renewed energy and focus in one of DC Entertainment’s best animated films to date.

After Damien Wayne/Robin’s aggression nearly threatens a Justice League mission, he is sent to train with the Teen Titans. He’s hardly arrived when Raven’s (Taissa Farmiga) satanic father, Trigon (Jon Bernthal), plots an escape from his inter-dimensional prison. To aid in his escape, Trigon’s demons possess members of the Justice League. The Teen Titans are left with the impossible task of defeating the JLA and saving the planet.

“Teen Titans is like The Breakfast Club or Degrassi High,” said producer James Tucker.

With all of the emotions and tempers of teenagers heaped on top of having various powers and abilities, the Titans might as well be an angsty teen drama. Damien (Stuart Allan) doesn’t help matters. Still stubborn and arrogant, he’s certain he’s too good for the team.

Fans who grew up with Batman: The Animated Series as their go-to cartoon superhero show have undoubtedly noticed the darker, more violent trend in those same cartoons now. I don’t think this is bad or even unwanted, as you can tell from my review of this month’s Batman vs. Robin. But a return to a more traditional, 90s feel is certainly welcome. That’s what we get in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts.

The story brings together classic Batman foes and heroes to uncover the plot behind Penguin’s new invention of Cyber Animals. The robotic creatures keep popping up during strange crimes committed by the Animilitia, a squad of animal-inspired villains that includes Silverback, Cheetah, Killer Croc and Man-Bat. Luckily, Batman has his own squad to call on and Flash, Green Arrow, Nightwing and Red Robin answer.

Animal Instincts comes straight out of DC Entertainment’s desire to create a Batman animated film for younger kids. That sentiment registered strongly with screenwriter Heath Corson who “wanted to capture that fun of Silver Age Justice League comics.” He’s definitely done that here. Humor is used to great effect and is mixed effortlessly with both hand-to-hand and high speed action scenes. Fight sequences are often one-on-one giving each hero and villain a chance in the spotlight.

With WonderCon, the Con season of 2015 has begun. Starting with WonderCon it rolls into the Star Wars Celebration, E3, Comic Con in San Diego, VidCon, RTX and wraps up around New York Comic Con… so basically the next six months of our lives. In celebration, JC and Wally went to Anaheim with camera in hand and only one pass. If Wally didn’t get in, he’d head to Disneyland. But if he did, he was going to “press” as hard as he could.

This may be the last year for WonderCon to grace the Disney neighborhood as it may be heading to Los Angeles next year. When we were there this year, we did see an influx of Disney / Star Wars hybrids. If they get further from the happiest place on earth, will that still happen?

Most likely. Mashup cosplays have taken over. JC though wasn’t having any of that and decided to rock the SoCal Hal look, the douchebag alternate universe version of the Green Lantern from DC’s Infinite Crisis MOBA game.

As is quickly becoming a tradition, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Animation unveiled a new Batman movie at a world premiere event at WonderCon on April 3. Inspired by best-selling graphic novel, Batman: Court of Owls, Batman vs. Robin is an excellent addition to the ever expanding universe of DC’s original movies.

Picking up on three months after Son of Batman left off, Batman vs. Robin showcases the still tenuous relationship between Bruce and Damian Wayne as they each try to better fit into their respective roles as father and son. Being crime fighting partners is both a help and a hindrance to their relationship, especially when it seems like Batman can’t rely on Robin to put aside his League of Assassins tendencies. The duo are to the test when Talon, the enforcer for The Court of Owls, tries to lure Damian in as his new protégé while Gotham’s secret society also enacts a plan that could destroy the city.

The film boasts a strong voice cast, including the return of Jason O’Mara (Batman), Stuart Allan (Robin), and Sean Maher (Nightwing). Allan once again brings the perfect amount of petulance to Damian and Batman vs. Robin goes the distance to remind us Damian isn’t a child the way the previous Robins, including Dick Grayson, were.

He was born and raised with assassins. Nightwing even remarks to Batman about Damian, saying, “He’s just a 10-year-old boy.” But Batman gently corrects him. “No. He just looks like one.” The film drives this message home so well it doesn’t seem as impossible for a kid to face off with full grown adults, even Batman, and hold his own or come out ahead.

Stars and the executive producers from TNT’s The Last Ship treated fans to an exclusive new trailer at WonderCon this weekend and unveiled key art for the upcoming second season. The show was basic cable’s #1 new series last year and TNT is hoping for a strong repeat with the new season as well.

Based on William Brinkley’s novel, The Last Ship chronicles the aftermath of a global catastrophe that nearly wipes out the world’s population. Captain Tom Chandler’s (Eric Dane) Navy destroyer was able to avoid the disaster, potentially making Chandler and his crew among the last humans on earth. In its first season, the show reached an average of 14.5 million viewers across all platforms.

At WonderCon, cast members Rhona  Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Travis Van Winkle, Charles Parnell, Christina Elmore, John Pyper Ferguson, and Jocko Sims filled out the panel with executive producers and showrunners Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane and fellow EP, Jack Bender.

The Last Ship will begin its second season on Sunday, June 21, with a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

While you might be able to figure out a logical connection between former WWE stars John Morrison and Chavo Guerrero aligning with Rampage Jackson, things get a little more interesting when you consider the other half of this muscled menagerie is Richard Hatch of Battlestar Galactica and the Winner Twins. But it actually makes sense. One thing people don’t realize is that while the brutish brawlers, the prince of parkour and the youngest of the Guerrero are all former world champions, they all also have a weakness for sci-fi.

It only makes sense that they’d make their announcement at WonderCon, the sister con to the epic Comic Con International, later today. While we do know that it will go down in Anaheim, CA at 7:30 in Room 300DE, that’s where our information runs out. So far, Morrison, Rampage, Chavo and Hatch have all kept tight lipped about any further details.

Today has already seen a couple new trailers arrive. We’ve always found that more trailers get relased on a Tuesday than a Monday. But heck, maybe things are changing? Or, Warner Bros. just can’t contain this particular one any longer.

The one in question is the latest for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim which, to say the least, looks pretty darn exciting. We say that in large part due to its premise: Monsters vs. Giant Robots. Well, not robots exactly, more like mech. Still, it’s pretty darn cool.

This particular trailer was first seen at WonderCon last month, but now it’s available for all. That doesn’t mean it’s any less awesome. In fact, seeing it again now we’re reminded of how much we’re really looking forward to this one.

Check out the trailer after rthe break. Look for Pacific Rim in theaters on July 12.

This week on The Flickcast, Chris and Matt are back with a new episode and even though they weren’t able to do one last week due to unforseen techical difficulties, rest assured this week’s episode more than makes up for it.

In this episode the boys discuss all manner of new and recurring topics including GDC in San Francisco, WonderCon in Anaheim, Jurassic Park in 3D, the state of the video game industry, celebrity politics, the Doctor Who premiere and the premiere of Game of Thrones.

They also talk all-things Walking Dead including the season finale and the evolution of the characters, story and the zombies themselves. Of course, they also make picks this week like Matt’s pick of the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic and Chris’ pick of the Stanley Kubrick Shining documentary Room 237.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook or via email.

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